Tyrol Nut Cake
I think my house is haunted. I know, I don’t believe in ghosts either (I totally do), but hear me out. One day, back in 2011, I had just put Cameron down for a nap, and I was laying on my bed, with my dog Sammy, watching TV. Suddenly, I heard what sounded like someone running up the stairs. Sammy quickly jumped off of the bed, left my bedroom, and peered down the stairs. I joined Sammy in the hallway expecting to see my husband, but nobody was there. Well, it happened again. On Christmas night after the kids had gone to sleep, and Aron and I had just turned off our bedroom light we heard what sounded like someone coming up the stairs very slowly and quietly. Aron turned to me and said, “Are you hearing this?”, I nodded and we both jumped out of bed. Aron grabbed a leather belt from his closet (I guess he planned on flogging the intruder), and I paced nervously trying to decide how I would get to my babies if someone had broken in. Aron quietly opened our bedroom door and looked in the hallway and down the stairs. There was nobody there. I’m sure there is a rational explanation, right? Okay, let’s make some Tyrol Nut Cake!
My German pal, Jessica, has sent me another recipe to try. Tyrol Nut Cake is an Austrian dessert from the federal state, Tyrol. I have seen a few different versions of this cake online. Some have walnuts and hazelnuts, some have milk chocolate and raisins, and some have an apricot glaze. This recipe uses ground hazelnuts and almonds, a touch of cinnamon, chocolate chips, and is drizzled with a chocolate ganache. It’s also the best Tyrol Nut Cake recipe out there, and I have absolutely no proof to back up that claim. All I know is that I enjoyed baking it, and I enjoyed eating it.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
Add the egg yolks one at a time.
Add the ground nuts and spices.
Add your dry ingredients.
In a separate, clean bowl, beat the egg whites until they become so stiff you could hang them upside down and they wouldn’t fall. That stiff.
Gently stir the cloud of egg whites into the cake batter until it disappears.
Finally, mix in the chocolate chips.
Fill a loaf pan, or a bundt pan with the batter.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.
Okay, let’s make some ganache.
Measure out your chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
Bring the cream to a boil, then pour hot cream over chocolate chips. Let sit for 1 minutes, then slowly stir the mixture for 2 minutes.
Soon, the chocolate/cream mixture will thicken into the most wonderful concoction in all the land.
Pour the ganache over the cooled cake.
Enjoy!
- 1 cup (227 g) Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) Sugar
- 5 medium Eggs, separated
- 1/3 cup (50 g) Hazelnuts, roasted and ground
- 1/2 cup (50 g) Almond, ground
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 pinch of Salt
- 1 1/2 cups (205 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Baking Powder
- 3.5 oz. (100 g) Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- 1/2 cup (4 oz. or 150 ml) Heavy Cream
- 4 oz. (113 g) Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
- Hazelnut Liqueur (optional, but seriously you should. I mean, really)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a loaf or bundt pan.
- In a standing mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, about 7 minutes.
- Add the 5 egg yolks one at a time while mixer is on low.
- Mix in ground nuts, cinnamon and salt until combined.
- Slowly add flour and baking powder until combined.
- Now, pour the batter in a large bowl, and set aside. Clean and dry the mixer bowl well, and then pour in the egg whites. Beat on medium-high speed until egg whites are stiff.
- With a wooden spoon, gently mix egg whites into the batter until combined.
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- Fill pan with batter, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean after inserted in cake.
- Let cool on wire rack.
- In a medium bowl, measure out the chocolate chips. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream until it starts to bubble up.
- Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit for 1 minute, then slowly stir mixture until chocolate mixture becomes smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of hazelnut liqueur, or more if desired. Taste as you go!
- Let ganache cool until thickened a bit (about an hour)
- Carefully invert cake over a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Slowly pour ganache over top.
- Roast the hazelnuts in a 350 degree F. oven for 8 minutes. After they have cooled a little, you can remove the skins by rubbing the hazelnut between your fingers. Then ground the nuts in a food processor.
- For the ground almonds, I used almond flour, but you can also ground blanched almonds in a food processor.
- Food processor
- Standing mixer
